From Screen to Sketch: Drawing from Film with Catherine Goodman
London-based artist Catherine Goodman held a drawing session on the occasion of her exhibition, ‘New Works,’ in Downtown Los Angeles
Artist and educator Catherine Goodman believes drawing can have a profound impact on the way we see the world. Integrating her decades-long drawing practice and her passion for film, Goodman developed the program Drawing from Film at The Royal Drawing School. The course involves drawing directly from a film, intermittently pausing the moving picture to make quick studies from the observed film stills.
On 23 February, ahead of her first solo exhibition in Los Angeles, Goodman led a Drawing from Film workshop at Hauser & Wirth Downtown LA, featuring the film ‘Paris, Texas’ (1984) directed by Wim Wenders. During the screening, Goodman invited participants to call for the film to be paused at any given moment to complete a collection of fast-paced drawings in semi-darkness. Each participant engaged in playful, six-minute drawing exercises that offered new ways of looking and an opportunity to see through the cinematographer’s point of view.
‘The beauty of this workshop is how intimate the drawing exercise becomes,’ one participant noted. ‘The act of slow looking takes over the individuals who are truly invested in the process and its quite powerful.’
Drawing from Film is an exercise that requires presence in the moment, encouraging new interpretations without the aim of completing a creation. Goodman instructed participants to capture the essence of a scene while experiencing the film frame by frame. She explained that some would find the process unpredictable, but the goal was to learn to select frames that held a personal connection and open a door to unconscious editing. Participants were invited to use a variety of materials, to explore graphite, charcoal and markers all within the same drawing. Overall, the workshop showed participants the benefits of taking risks while teaching them to trust the mark-making process.
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‘Catherine Goodman. New Works’ is on view through 5 May 2024 at Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles.
Watch a conversation between Catherine Goodman and curator and writer Jenelle Porter to learn more about the works on view in Los Angeles. Click here to watch.
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Photos: Mario de Lopez
